Eucalyptus Torquata, also known as Coolgardie gum or Coral gum is indigenous to a very small part of Western Australia, to the east around the goldfields. It grows from six to twelve metres and loves dry summers, one of the reasons I’ve planted it in my backyard — the one I’m doing my best to turn into a mini Aussie native forest. I also planted a couple of Silver Princess gums and a Red Capped Gum, all of which belong to the botanical order: Myrtales.

I’m so in love with these trees, I named my book publishing imprint after them: Myrtales Press.

Myrtales also hints at story telling, and one of these days I’ll make up a logo to go on my book title page: a tiny sketch of a eucalypt flower.

Meanwhile here are some pictures of my forest. Eighteen months ago, this land was bare, black sand. It’s quite alkaline and one of the first things we did was bring in a truckload of organic compost to encourage beneficial bacteria, lower the Ph and feed the soil, then later, several trailer-loads of pine mulch to preserve moisture. Most of these plants were babies when we planted them. Look at them now: well on the way to becoming established.

Above, is Woolly Bush (foreground), behind that an Olive Leaf Grevillea. To the right of that by the window is an Eremophila (silver leaves and purple flowers) and beyond that by the back fence is an almost half-grown Lillipilli screening hedge and a Brachychiton which is a Queensland Bottle Tree x Illawarra Flame tree.

Hiding behind the Olive Leaf Grevillea is the birdbath; and just as I took this photo, a Willy Wagtail dove in for a bit of a splash. You can just see her on the left. The greenery at the foot of the birdbath is a prostrate Acacia. To the right is a white Kangaroo Paw. And the others are varieties of Bottlebrushes and Banksias and a Raspberry Jam Wattle.

The little tree in the foreground is my Coral Gum, growing like the clappers. Can’t wait to see it flower, hopefully in a year or two.